IN TERMS of entertainment the comedy value would have been heightened had James Harper pushed Martin O'Neill with enough force to remove his spectacles.

But Harper's first-half shove into the Irishman's back as he attempted to retrieve the ball was like so much of what Reading are about these days - lacking in real conviction.

A few choice words were exchanged before referee Martin Atkinson intervened.

The glasses stayed on.

Harper's team-mates had even less fight in them as Villa rarely needed to step out of first gear to make it 50 goals for the season and 13 wins.

Apart from a testing first 30 seconds when the aforementioned Harper forced Scott Carson into something resembling a save, and a final 30 seconds when Nicky Shorey's 25-yard free-kick squirmed between Carson and the post, Steve Coppell's side showed exactly why they could be making a swift return to the Championship.

"Let's make this a cauldron of optimism!" bellowed the pre-match announcer.

Easier said than done when your team have now lost eight on the bounce, although Carson's late blooper at least brought to an end their five-game run, or seven-and-a-half hours, without a goal. By the end it was more like a den of despair.

The goal meant Villa have now completed 13 games since keeping a clean sheet, but they possess pace and power in abundance as the statistic of only failing to score in just two games out of the last 22 testifies.

Villa were markedly the better team as they served up a performance quite befitting a side deservedly on the coat-tails of the top four.

They were not troubled by birthday-boy Gareth Barry's first penalty miss since away at Blackburn last Easter, and should have wrapped up a far more convincing victory that was eventually handed to them by goals from Ashley Young and Marlon Harewood.

Chances came and went and there was a feeling Reading might just get lucky on a rare breakaway, especially with Carson looking so nervous between the posts.

Reading offered little, bereft of so much confidence on a run which has seen them not pick up a single point since a 1-1 draw at West Ham on Boxing Day.

There was a long-range shot from Shorey just past the hour, which Carson managed to spill at the feet of Stephen Hunt.

And with a little over 20 minutes remaining, Carson got lucky with a block he knew little about when Shorey's free-kick was flicked goalwards by David Kitson.

But for the majority of the remaining 89 minutes Reading showed exactly why they are plummeting fast.

Gabriel Agbonlahor fired wide early on, John Carew missed a decent chance and Young drew a save out of Reading keeper Marcus Hahnemann.

Reading survived an almighty scramble after Agbonlahor skated past Ibrahima Sonko on to Barry's pass. His low cross was blocked by Kalifa Cisse and then Shaun Maloney's close-range shot was blocked by Graeme Murty with the ball popping up into Hahnemann's hands.

Villa were presented with a fortuitous penalty when Craig Gardner's shot struck Cisse on the arm after Maloney's effort was initially blocked by Hunt.

Barry, though, lost his usual cool and blazed well wide of the left-hand post.

Martin Laursen found himself free inside the six-yard box but directed Young's free-kick too close to Hahnemann.

However, Villa were ahead seconds before half-time when Agbonlahor profited from more poor defending by Cisse, who lost his footing and presented him with a clear run on goal.

Agbonlahor could have chosen to have a pop at goal, but squared for Young who fired into the roof of the net for his fifth goal of the season.

As the game wore on, Villa continued to create.

Carew weaved around Cisse and squared for Agbonlahor, only for the fit-again forward to squander the chance by lifting his shot over the crossbar.

Carew then linked well with substitute Harewood and burst into the box only for his shot to be saved by Hahnemann.

Young came within a whisker of rounding off a superb move with 10 minutes remaining as he fizzed a fine volley goalwards from Barry's right-wing corner, but Hahnemann saved at his near post.

Harewood's day seemed to go from bad to worse when he turned Ivar Ingimarsson superbly on the edge of the box but shot so poorly that the ball trickled out for a throw.

But just when the doubters were starting to circle, Harewood picked the ball up in his own half, skipped past his marker and fed Young.

Young darted into acres of space and rolled a fine return pass back to the striker who curled a delicious shot inside the far post for his third league goal of the season.

It should have been 3-0 in the dying stages when Agbonlahor skipped down the left and fed Harewood, whose nicelyweighted pass across the penalty area presented Carew with a simple chance to finish from six yards, only for Murty to produce a fine block.

With normal time almost up Gardner saved Hunt's shot on the goal-line, and Carson saved with his feet from Kitson.

Even then there was still time for Villa to try to turn their dominance into goals, but Carew lofted his shot over the crossbar after leading the Reading defence a merry dance.

The final kick of the game saw Reading finally end their long goal drought as Carson allowed Shorey's 25-yard free-kick to beat him at his right-hand post.

But there was no celebrating from the home players. Seconds later the referee's whistle ended their misery and Villa's players were tasting a sweet victory which keeps their European hopes well and truly alive.